NuvaRing and light periods

Hello,
Just thought I would add some pro nuvaring commentary to the chorus of horror stories here. I've been on the nuvaring for about two years now and so far I have no babies (yay!) and no side effects I could confidently link to the ring. Like most women I get headaches (about once a week or so), experience pms, and my sex drive is not what it was in the first few weeks of my relationship but I'm unwilling to ascribe any of these 'side effects' soley to the ring. In particular I find it difficult to believe as some of your postings indicate that the side effects of the ring seem to be worse than the pill- depression, weight gain (in one post 40-50 lbs!), headaches, etc. when the dosage or hormones is lower. So I guess simply put, I am satisfied with the ring and although it's not my place to criticize another woman's choice of birth control, I wouldn't let these posts scare you away from what is, in my experience, the best form of hormonal birth control based on its user-friendliness and lower dosage of hormones.

I was on Orthocept pills for 10 years with no problems. Short, light periods, no PMS. I can have a temper, but it was when I was younger and in the middle of a fight. That being said...I gave birth to twin daughters in November 2005. 9 months later, I stopped breastfeeding and had to go back on birth control. My old pill didn't work and neither did 3 others (included Yaz). I bled almost the entire month. I was crabby and irritable, but mostly frustrated. It was a horrible 1 1/2 years. 6 months ago I was put on Nuvaring because it should produce no side effects for the most part. Besides heavy discharge (which I could live with if I wasn't bleeding all month), I had heavier periods. I also noticed I was starting to get some nasty PMS, which I've NEVER had in my entire life. I was moody and irritable and cried even more easily than normal. Lately, I've been lashing out at my sweet girls and yelling at them. At first I thought it was because they are going through the difficult "2's" and mealtime is a struggle. I thought, they are more challenging so my patience is worn a little thinner. My husband has a different story. We've both noticed nasty mood swings and it's gotten to the point in the past month that I feel bi-polar. I really feel out of control. My doc said to go off it for a few months to see how I am. This is my "period" week and all of a sudden I've had a little period. I haven't been able to get my hormones under control since giving birth and it's frustrating. My husband wants his wife back and I don't want my girls to remember me yelling and crying for no reason. THAT'S enough to make anyone depressed on their own. I'm not sure what we are going to do for birth control at this point (condoms I guess...which is no fun when you are used to not using them). I will see what happens. I hope it's not the Nuvaring, but after seeing these posts, I feel a little better knowing I may be able to get rid of some of my craziness over the next few months as my body goes back to "normal". Good luck to the rest of you as well. I love being a woman, but boy, we get the short end of the stick sometimes!

9/25/07 (Previous post)

I am 26 yrs old and I have been on Nuvaring for about 3-3 1/2 years. I thought this was the greatest thing not having to remember the pill and the short light periods. I have always sworn by this BC! I have been having side effects I never thought came from the ring until now. I have read a lot of the side effects others are having and I think my lack of sexual desire for the past 1 1/2 yrs. MAY be due to Nuvaring and not my getting married 2 yrs. ago. (lol) I also have headaches often, not bad ones but enough to carry Tylenol in my purse. And another is dryness before intercourse, that I never had a problem with 2 yrs. ago. I never put two and two together until I racked my brain and wondered why I struggled so badly with my lack of sexual desire. I could care less if I have sex or not! That just wasn't me 2 yrs ago! I just couldn't figure out what had changed, going back on any medicines I had taken the past 2 yrs., the Nuvaring is the only thing that was constant. I have a Dr. Appt today and I am going to discontinue use of the ring and see if the side effects subside like they have for some others. I will post again when I have an update. Please let me know if anyone else is having the side effects more than a year after using the Nuvaring!! Thanks!

UPDATE 11/8/07

I took my Nuvaring out for good on Sept 29. Started on Wed Oct 3rd. And with the advise of my OB/GYN this would be my last period with the Nuvaring. We decided to go hormone free for a while. I no longer have the dryness I did before while on the ring and my sex drive is coming back around, I actually enjoy sex again. Daily head aches are a thing of the past. Things seem to be much better now off the Nuvaring. I started this time just a few days late with a fill blown period. Not the little light "Nuvaring Period" that I had for over 3 yrs. Welcome to life without hormones! Any side effects going off the Nuvaring?? I have had is a few days of my nipples being sensitive, that went away. I am looking forward to seeing what this next month brings without all of the bad side effects. When I decide to use birth control again, I guess I will choose to choke down the pill again. Until then....I'm FREE!

I am 26 yrs old and I have been on Nuvaring for about 3-3 1/2 years. I thought this was the greatest thing not having to remember the pill and the short light periods. I have always sworn by this BC! I have been having side effects I never thought came from the ring until now. I have read a lot of the side effects others are having and I think my lack of sexual desire for the past 1 1/2 yrs. MAY be due to Nuvaring and not my getting married 2 yrs. ago. (lol) I also have headaches often, not bad ones but enough to carry Tylenol in my purse. And another is dryness before intercourse, that I never had a problem with 2 yrs. ago. I never put two and two together until I racked my brain and wondered why I struggled so badly with my lack of sexual desire. I could care less if I have sex or not! That just wasn't me 2 yrs ago! I just couldn't figure out what had changed, going back on any medicines I had taken the past 2 yrs., the Nuvaring is the only thing that was constant. I have a Dr. Appt today and I am going to discontinue use of the ring and see if the side effects subside like they have for some others. I will post again when I have an update. Please let me know if anyone else is having the side effects more than a year after using the Nuvaring!! Thanks!

I'VE BEEN ON NUVARING FOR 8 MONTHS NOW. I WAS THINKING ABOUT GETTING OFF OF IT BECAUSE I AM GAINING WEIGHT BAD. SO I WENT TO THIS WEBSITE & READ EVERYONE'S & REALIZED ALL THESE OTHER SYMPTOMS I'M HAVING IS BECAUSE OF NUVARING TOO. I HAVE HORRIBLE HEADACHES, IM VERY MOODY, IM TIRED ALL THE TIME, NASTY SMELLY DISCHARGE, I HATE SEX, ABSOLUTELY HATE IT, MY BACK ACHES ME BAD & IM HUNGRY ALL THE TIME & I GUESS THATS MAKING ME GAIN WEIGHT ALSO. I WILL DEFINATELY BE TAKING THIS OUT!! I LOVE THE SHORT LIGHT PERIODS, BUT I HATE ALL THESE SYMPTOMS!!

starting this month, i will be on the nuvaring for 3 years. i took the ring out yesterday, and my period is due Wednesday but this morning I was spotting. Which triggered me to do some internet researching, hoping I'm not pregnant. During my search I have read so many forums regarding side effects to the Nuvaring. And surprisngly, I guess I have a lot of them. First and foremost, I've lost my sex drive, just about completely which is so frustrating because I'm in a fairly new relationship (its only 8 months old). In addition, a year ago I started having incredibly bad anxiety attacks. Which I read that the booklet with the Nuvaring says not to take it if you have anxiety problems. Further more, since October of this year I have stomach problems that are unexplainable. If I have a day where I do not complain that my stomach hurts, its amazing. And I've tried many remedies- from Tums, to Nexium, to Apple Cider, anything that says it releaves stomach pressure. I'm almost 26 years old and in the last year I have been warned about my high cholesterol (I do not eat meat regularly), put on Zoloft for anxiety/depression, terrible terrible stomach issues, and sexual issues (such as the no sex drive, it is painful sometimes to have intercorse and sometimes after)... and after reading all of this I'm starting to think it might be all due to the birth control I use (which is Nuvaring). I do not know what to do because I really enjoy the light periods, the ease of not having to remember to take a pill at the same time every day, and that I have not gained that much weight as compared with Ortha Light that I was on previously for 2.5 years.